The Boston Bruins have no captain this season; they opted for three alternate captains.
Two of those alternate captains will wear the ‘A’ while representing their countries in Milan.
On Sunday afternoon, Team Czechia announced Roman Cervenka (HC Dynamo Pardubice) as its captain. David Pastrnak and Radko Gudas (Anaheim) will be the alternate captains.
Pastrnak was an alternate captain with Team Czechia at the 2013 and 2014 U-18 World Junior Championships. He has been an alternate with Boston since the 2021-22 season, and he also captained the Atlantic Division at the 2020 All-Star Game in San Jose.
This season with the Bruins, Pastrnak has embraced the role of a playmaker. He has 71 points (22-49–71) this season, with 26 points coming on the power play (9-17–26).
This is Pastrnak’s first Olympic appearance, and he carried the Czech flag during the Opening Ceremony.
Team Czechia’s first game is on Feb. 12 against Team Canada. They are playing in Group A with France, Switzerland, and Canada.
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Shortly after the Czech announcement, USA Hockey announced its leadership group for Milan.
Auston Matthews (Toronto) will wear the captain’s ‘C.’ He is joined by Charlie McAvoy and Matthew Tkachuk (Florida) as alternate captains.
McAvoy was an alternate captain for Team USA at the Four Nations Face-Off last year. He also wore the ‘A’ at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship. He has been an alternate captain in Boston since the 2023-24 season.
The leadership group remains the same from the Four Nations Face-Off in Boston and Montreal.
McAvoy, like many skaters in the tournament, is making his Olympic debut. He has skated in six tournaments representing the United States before the games in Milan.
Team USA opens the Olympic tournament on Feb. 12 with a game against Latvia. They are in Group C with Germany, Denmark, and Latvia.